Body Count Inc.

Mercenary Coalition

Why am I running for re-election for the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) 7?

CCP is a much changed company from what it was a year ago, but we still have a lot of work to do. If I am reelected to the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), I will continue to fight tirelessly for the changes you demand. Last year’s CSM built bridges and tore down walls, and I’m proud to have played a crucial role in serving the EVE community. The results of our work is obvious – increased dev blogs, more dev activity on Twitter and other social media, video dev blogs and a renewed commitment from CCP to ITERATE on spaceships while they sort out a better way to do space dolls properly.

Continuing to improve on the communication and accountability processes between the players and the developers will be essential in the success of the next CSM. As someone that has been passionately involved from both sides of the fence for more than eight years, I have proven I can do this very effectively.

As a Game Designer at CCP for more than three years, I watched from the inside as the CSM grew from an experiment into something that is now one of the most powerful, driving forces for change in the direction of EVE Online. Last year, I ran for CSM 6 and was elected with 3,813 votes. I need your help to keep the torches burning and the pitchforks held high!

The term ‘bitter vet’ is tossed around a lot, but imagine it from the side of someone that actually worked on the game and, over and over, saw months of effort wrecked in a matter of weeks due to mismanagement, misunderstanding and just plain short-sightedness. This was the same disconnect with the player base that gave us invulnerable starbases in Sov 4 and area of effect (AoE) Titan doomsdays.

CCP’s pattern of short-sightedness is a cause of near daily frustration, and I never waste an opportunity to preach about it to the other CSM members or the player base at large. It is a big part of what drove me to run for CSM 6 and something I plan to focus on in CSM 7. CCP is working toward un-******* all of this, and I want to make damn sure I am in a position to help keep them focused.

Ultimately, I believe that every EVE player, from the most bitter vets to the most happy carebears, all want the same thing - a fun and balanced game to play. While my preferred play style may be making people explode and cry, I have a broader perspective because of the work I did on EVE as a dev. I want to see everyone have an equally enjoyable game experience whatever their play style. Having worked in game design for more than three years at CCP, I've had to apply creative thinking to a variety of play styles. I love that EVE is hard and fun and rewarding. When you login it should say "This is EVE. You've been warned." That's the kind of game we all started playing and that is the game I want EVE to be again.

My Goals as a member of CSM 7

EVE ONLINE - ITERATIONS was the cornerstone of my CSM 6 campaign, and I intend to continue with that mantra. To me, EVE Online has always been a game about spaceships.

When it comes to how I would like to see CCP use their resources in the near future, the top three things I would like to see happen are:

My reasons for that order are that I very much want to see CCP iterate on and complete the first two systems that have been lingering in apathy for years now. More importantly, I don't want CCP touching #3 until they can literally put a full expansion's worth of resources into it. It is not an easy task as everything in EVE springs from the way we mine, build and trade. I don't want them rushing it!

I want to see everyone happily blowing each other up and then I would like to see an industry expansion that allows us to invent / build new and fun ways to keep the violence going strong!

To quote myself in a blog I wrote recently: "A lot of people asked me why I was running for CSM when I had already worked at the company. You know who didn't ask? The people still working at the company.”

Many think the CSM is some sort of silly propaganda machine, but, having been on both sides of the table, I can say that I wouldn't invest my time into the CSM if that were true. As an employee, there are rules of interaction that you have to follow and you have to watch that you are not stepping too far outside of the box. We CSM members just have to make sure we don't say 'secret stuff.' The number of CCP employees who have approached CSM6 members at summits, in Reykjavik bars, or daily on Skype tells me that we have made a positive impact. I'm of the firm opinion that the CSM has and can continue to make a difference.

I’ve heard many space friends and colleagues point to Apocrypha as an example of a great expansion. Right now, with the amount of resources that have been refocused on EVE, there is the potential for an 'Apocrypha' nearly every three months. There are literally five times the number of teams working on EVE today as there were a few months ago. The actual content of what is to come is certainly going to be the subject of many CSM and CCP chats, but it will be your influence in those chats as we continually improve our channels of communication.

I started playing EVE in Beta 6, back in early 2003. I have had at least one active EVE account from the week the servers went live until today. In that time, I've played EVE at every conceivable level. My most well-known role is as CEO of Body Count Inc. and founder and leader of the old and infamous Mercenary Coalition alliance. From November 2006 until February 2010, I worked at CCP as a game designer as CCP Abathur. Some of you may remember me as the guy behind wormholes.

Additionally, I have been the CEO of one of the largest Industrial corps in the game and also coordinated the activities of several smaller industrial corporations. I have done industrial work involving dozens of T2 BPOs and coordinated logistics for outpost and super capital construction. Although I am quite wealthy today, I mined Omber in a Punisher for two weeks to earn the ISK for my first cruiser BPO.

In my time as a player I've made several videosand written several well-known war reports. I've known the joys of wiping out capital fleets and killing titans; I know the pain of losing the same. I have seen all the highs and lows that EVE has to offer and my passion for the game still burns brightly.

Some may point to my affiliation with Pandemic Legion as a detriment (blowing up a lot of dudes tends to create a few enemies), however Elise Randolph will be PL’s primary candidate. My platform is a bit more diverse and open. Consider that I have led my corporation for more than eight years, but less than one 1/8 of that time has been spent in PL. Let me assure you that no one in EVE, much less PL, has any leverage over me. I've played for too long and seen EVE through too many eyes to be easily influenced. My opinions are formed based upon years of involvement from both sides of the table, player and dev.

As a member of CSM 6, I have consistently been one of the most approachable and reasonable of your elected representatives. My blog has consistently been one of the main sources of information about the CSM summits until the release of the official minutes. I make it a point to try to answer every eve mail I receive and follow up on issues to the best of my ability.

At the end of the day, I am one of you and I want to take my experience as a player and a former dev back to Iceland as a member of CSM 7. Give me one more year and I will continue to work tirelessly to keep CCP on a path that improves EVE for more than just one area of the game!

IRL - Who am I?

My name is Mark Heard. I am 38 years old, married with a family, and split my time between homes in the United States and Germany. I was a member of the United States Army for four years before going to work for the U.S. Department of Defense for several years. In late 2006, I was hired as a Game Designer at CCP, a job I held until February of 2010 when I resigned to return to work in the Defense industry. I am now a small business owner in the United States with real estate interests in Germany.

I don't care about free trips to Iceland. I've had plenty of those when I worked at CCP. I don't care about getting a job there because... done that! I'm doing this because I want to build on the progress that CSM 6 made and take it to the next level. I believe that my experience as a former employee and my tenure in CSM 6 combined with my passion for what makes EVE Online unique in the gaming world can be a potent combination in representing the interests of the community.

Maintaining and improving the communication process with the people at CCP who will listen can only have a net positive effect on any future interactions. As evidenced by the results of the work done in CSM 6, who you vote for in this next election is very important. I’ve been on the front lines of all of these issues for a lot longer than just my CSM 6 term.

Make your vote count by putting it in for someone who knows how to fight these battles, understands when and how the mistakes were made and most importantly, someone that knows how CCP works and how to get them to do what's needed!

"I've had the pleasure of working with Seleene on improving the game throughout the years since CSM 2, when he was known as CCP Abathur. As an example of his willingness to put effort into it, he once had a brainstorming session with us for 6 hours... by text... on a Sunday!

Seleene is a veteran player and obviously knowledgeable about the game in general, and when it comes to medium to large scale PvP and 0.0 in particular. Unlike many delegates over the years, he actually bothered to contribute, participate and make the voice of the people who voted for him (or didn't) heard. Shouldn't he already have it, he'd have earned my respect for that alone. I hope I have the chance to work with him again."

Two Step, CSM 6 Alternate Delegate (Super Awesome WH dude):

"Seleene was a great rep on CSM 6, and I expect he will do the same on CSM 7. Seleene has *always* been willing to raise issues even if those would hurt whatever alliance he is currently in. This includes advocating for nerfs to supercaps while he flies one himself and his alliance (PL) is widely known as the largest users of supers. He has done a fantastic job representing *everyone* who plays this game. Thanks to all of you who voted him on CSM 6, it would have been a much worse CSM without him."

Trebor Daehdoow, CSM 5 & 6 Delegate:

"Mark (Seleene) was one of the most effective members of CSM6; he doesn't give a **** about getting credit for stuff getting done, he just cares that stuff gets done, and that CCP deploys their resources efficiently to provide improvements for the whole community.

I don't think you'll find a single member of the CSM -- or CCP dev -- whose opinion you respect that will have anything less than unreserved praise for how much *effort* he put in. A vote for Seleene will not be wasted."

Krutoj, CSM 6 Delegate:

"Having Mark on CSM6 have definitively help push a lot of key fixes through and having his experience as well as other 0.0 members helped open up a better outlook on the issues we have worked on with CCP. Mark is one of the few CSM members I can be proud to have worked with on CSM6."

Mynxee, CSM 5 Chair:

"He brings a unique perspective to the CSM due to the combination of being a long-term player with wide experience in the game, a former CCP dev, and now a seasoned CSM member. He's not shy about calling bullshit on anyone and doesn't sugar coat it when he does. Besides that, no one can write a more impassioned, convincing, and humorous wall of text about CSM issues than he can. A vote for Seleene will be a vote for a broad-based perspective and passion for the game."

Noisrevbus, Excellent forum poster:

"Knowing he understands the complexity of a given situation and is willing to open up to it, makes Seleene a clear pick for me this round. A candidate who is willing and able to take the discussion is better than anyone who simply agree or disagree. I prefer lasting tangible results over simply being thrown a bone, and i prefer being challenged over patted. Thus, i know voting for Seleene mean i can feel somewhat safely represented through that ideal, not quality as professionalism but as in depth understanding of the game. Showing commitment beyond that is only flattering - and I'll do my best to continue to hound everyone when it comes to priorities."

"Seleene obviously worked really hard for CSM 6 and his experience as a prominent dev is very valuable. I'm convinced that CSM 7 won't be at it's full potential without him on it."

Shadoo, EVE Alliance Commentator and Pandemic Legion Grand Admiral:

"Love him, or hate him -- you have to admit the man has been there, done that and knows not only the game mechanics, but also can appriciate the difficulties in balancing corporate pressures and tight game release schedules. I think that gives him a unique position to speak as a peer, not only a customer, when it comes to important game wide issues."

Habitual Euthanasia

Pandemic Legion

Even though I've spent most of my time in Eve shooting Seleene and his corp/alliances (since shooting the MC in 2006), he's still one of the most competent people for the CSM. He knows the game and seems to have reasonable ideas for the future of Eve.